Israel’s military has launched an investigation after soldiers were filmed throwing the bodies of three dead Palestinians off a rooftop during a raid in the occupied West Bank. The incident occurred in the northern town of Qabatiya, near Jenin. Following the footage, an Israeli military bulldozer was seen picking up and removing the bodies, sparking widespread outrage.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the incident as “serious” and acknowledged that it did not align with the military’s values or the standards expected of its soldiers. The footage has ignited criticism both locally and internationally, with the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling the act a “crime” that demonstrated the “brutality” of the Israeli army.
According to Palestinian officials, at least seven people were killed during the Israeli raid in Qabatiya on Thursday. The IDF stated that the operation was part of a counterterrorism effort, during which four militants were killed in a firefight and three others died after a drone strike targeted a vehicle.
A local journalist reported that Israeli troops had surrounded a building in Qabatiya on Thursday morning. Four men on the roof of the building were shot by snipers, and following the fighting, soldiers were seen throwing the bodies off the roof. The bodies were then loaded onto a bulldozer.
In response to questions about the footage, the IDF reiterated that the incident was under investigation and emphasized that it did not reflect the values of the military. One of the men killed, Shadi Zakarneh, was identified by the IDF as being responsible for organizing attacks in the northern West Bank and described as the leader of a “terrorist organization” in Qabatiya, though no specific group was named.
The incident comes amid a sharp increase in violence in the West Bank following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. More than 690 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since then, according to the Palestinian health ministry, as Israeli forces have intensified raids. Israel has said its operations are aimed at preventing further Palestinian attacks, which have killed at least 33 Israelis.
In Gaza, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed due to Israeli military action, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
